Five Card Draw Strategy
A basic strategy for this variant is to call on a high pair or better in the first round. Alternatively you could raise a small amount. Raising high on the first betting round will usually scare off all the opponents and you'll end up with no winnings except the pot so try and strike a balance.
In deciding which cards to trade back, many people will recommend holding onto four straight over a pair. This is simply not mathematically advantageous, especially with a high Pair. Since a high Pair can often win the pot, leaving yourself with a chance of a dead hand is not worth discarding the Pair.
In the second betting round consider how much your opponent is betting as to whether to call or fold (or raise). Take into account how many cards they discarded as well as how strong their betting was after the draw as compared to before the draw. For example, if your opponent bet low before the draw and discarded three cards but bet high after the draw then there is a good chance they have a Two Pair (or Full House to a lesser
extent).
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